Protective quarter boot for the front of a horse



Jan. 28, 1964 B. COHEN O 3,119,219

PROTECTIVE QUARTER BOOT FOR THE FRONT OF A HORSE Filed Dec. 12, 1961 INVENTQR. BEQ/YAQD COHEN United States Patent 3,119,219 PRGTECTW 1E QUARTER BOGT FOR THE FRQNT 9F A HORSE Bernard Cohen, New York, N.Y., assignor to Miller Harness Co. 111m, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 158,667 1 Claim. (Cl. 5482) This invention relates generally to equipment for horses, and has particular reference to protective quarter boots for the front feet of the horse.

Devices known as scalping boots, applicable to the hind feet of horses, have been known for many years. They serve to protect the front flesh of the hind feet, directly above the hoof. Heretofore, where similar protection was sought for the front feet, it has been common practice to employ these same boots, applied backside front, since it is the rear parts of the front feet that require protection. This expedient has never proved to be entirely satisfactory, because boots shaped and intended to protect the front surfaces of a horses rear feet are not properly shaped or contoured to protect the rear surfaces of the horses front feet. In addition to other disadvantages which have regularly manifested themselves, the boots turn circumferentially when hit, they tend to ride upwardly beyond the areas they are to protect, and often they slip off the feet entirely.

Because of the unique structural and anatomical characteristics of a horses front foot, it has always been a problem to protect it against injury. It is a general object of the present invention to provide a protective boot which is structurally designed for the specific purpose of accomplishing this desirable result in a practical manner. More particularly, it is the aim of this invention to provide a boot that will afford reliable and elfective protection for the coronary flesh of the front foot, directly above the hoof, particularly the bulbs of flesh at the rear.

The improved boot is a substantially tubular element of tough, impact-resistant elastic material adapted to be fitted snugly over the front foot of the horse and to grip it elastically. One of the features of the improved construction resides in the fact that the walls at the sides and rear are outwardly convexed to engage firmly and snugly around the flesh which is to be protected. Another feature resides in the provision of special recesses in the inner surface of the rear wall to accommodate the bulbs of flesh behind the hoof. A further feature resides in the provision of a special inward projection at the center of the lower edge of the rear wall, adapted to fit into the cleft in the hoof and serving not only to position and retain the boot circumferential-1y but also .to prevent it from riding up.

The preferred embodiment of the invention forms the protective device as an integrally molded element of tough rubbery material or its equivalent.

A boot embodying the features of this invention is illustratively depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ring front foot of a horse, with the improved protective boot in position thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, from the front, of the boot standing by itself;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the boot;

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FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3; and

'FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the line 66 of FIG. 5.

The boot shown is a substantially tubular element having a front wall 10, a rear wall 11, an outer side wall 12, and an inner side wall 13. The walls 11, 12 and '13 are appreciably higher than the front wall 10, and the inner side wall 13 is the highest, serving to enclose and thereby protect that part of the foot which is most susceptible to injury by contact with the horses other front foot.

The rear and side walls 11, 12 and 13 are convexed outwardly like a barrel, whereby they snugly and efiectively cover the corresponding regions of the foot when the boot is applied as indicated in FIG. 1. The boot is composed of tough impact-resistant elastic material, such as rubber or its equivalent, and when it is applied to the foot it is adapted to fit snugly and to grip it elastically. The coronary flesh directly above the hoof is thus enclosed and shielded.

On the inner face of the rear wall 11, recesses 14 and 15 are provided, arranged somewhat symmetrically on opposite sides of the vertical center line. These recesses are so shaped that they merge at the center and conjointly define, in outline, a horizontal-1y laid figure 8. These recesses thus serve to accommodate the bulbs of flesh which are directly behind the hoof.

The rear wall 11 is also provided at its bottom edge, centrally thereof, with an inward projection 16, preferably of triangular cross-section with the apex upward. This projection is adapted to fit into the cleft of the hoof. Thus it serves not only to position and retain the boot on the foot circumferentially, but it prevents the boot from riding up.

The effectiveness of the boot will be obvious from the description given. When it is applied to the foot by the groom, he is enabled to fit the projection 16 into the cleft of the hoof and thus there is assurance that the boot is properly positioned both upwardly and circumferentially. When thus located, the bulbs of flesh in the rear accommodate themselves within the recesses 14 and 15, and the other regions of the coronary flesh lit snugly within the convex curvature of the walls. It has been found that the boot stays reliably in place, does not tend to slip off the foot, does not turn when hit, does not rise up, and efiiciently guards the relatively delicate fleshy regions which are to be protected.

It is to be understood, of course, that the boot for the left front foot is correspondingly shaped and contoured, except that the opposite side wall serves as the inner wall and is therefore the higher of the two side walls.

It will also be understood that, except as otherwise specified herein, the details described and illustrated may be modified by those skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A protective quarter boot for the front foot of a horse, comprising an integrally molded substantially tubular element of tough impact-resistant elastic material adapted to grip the foot elastically in the coronary region directly above the hoof, the walls at the sides and rear being higher than the front wall and convexed outwardly like a barrel, the inner side wall being the highest, the rear wall Patented Jan. 28, 19i4 3 4- being provided on its inner surface with recesses shaped to References Cited in the file of this patent accommodate the bulbs of flesh hehind the hoof, sai i UNITED STATES PATENTS recesses merging at the center and ointly defining a honzontally laid figure 8 in outline, and an integral inward 10587 Golden 1885 projection formed at the center of the lower edge of the 5 91,122 H5111 June 8, 1369 rear Wall vand adapted to fit into the cleft in the hoof thus 275,655 H156 et a1 P 1383 serving to position and retain the boot circumferentialily 6941340 Tuttle 251 1902 and preventing it from riding up. 

